Day 17 Lots of car Problems

A large roadside Buddha

A good day for Team Shamrock. We moved up from 10th Place to 9th. The wear and tear on the cars and crews is beginning to show. A very good competitor on the Speed Stage put his Triumph TR in the ditch. The happy Scotsmen broke their steering column for the second time. One of the Volvos is undergoing major surgery tonight; doubtful for tomorrow’s start. Two of the ”celebrity cats” cars came in on a flat-bed tonight; one will certainly be out tomorrow as its driver ran it into a ditch breaking the front windshield (or windscreen as the Brits would call it)......and that’s only a partial list of today’s casualties. The Car and the Rally:We had a good day. We did the Speed Stage quick and while we’re still having trouble with the Regularity Stages, we did move up a space on the leader board. At our first Stage today, the whole village came out to greet us at the start. Villagers were all dressed in Hawaiian shirts (not sure why); had a live band there and it was a party atmosphere. Each of us received “lucky beads” as a gift....very festive. Observations:We have turned South headed for Cambodia in two days’ time. The entire day was spent in agricultural areas. Everyone in this area is dependent on the land to make a living. People and villages are poor. Some homes (i.e. shacks) have dirt floors and no sewage systems.....yet, everyone has a cellphone and is taking pictures of the cars and the competitors.